Wind Carved Change
by LayeredPotential
Summary: It's time to live without regrets. The winds of change are inevitable, and halting them is as futile as slowing down light. If you don't fix what ain't broke, start breaking things. Time travel
1. A Day of Deviation

Keeps both pre and post time skip plot elements, but disregards most implausible character interactions and immature characterizations, as well as some immature and or missing aspects of the plot. So the background is somewhat AU. If I ever actually finish this stuff, maybe I'll write another story on the original timeline.

An exercise in supposed futility. At least according to the person who challenged me with this question. Is the time travel trope a cop out, a cliché plot line especially among amateur writers? A way to fix everything to someone's liking? Or are there good elements to this device? Also, this'll serve as proof that I can write on anything, not just the stuff that makes me excited but the stuff that makes me go "I've seen better, faster."

The Naruto series is pretty dumb. When I was 12, I thought the explosions and jutsu were wicked and Naruto wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box but at least he had a heart of gold. Now, everything just seems… awkward and unrefined. Even the fights are like watching paint dry most of the time while there's a few minutes of action at most. The manga was less clumsy, but still just as immature. But hey, I still like things that go boom and the backstory is all right. Plus there are plenty of metaphors and symbols to capitalize on. Makes for a useful sandbox. But reabsorbing the series for accuracy isn't very fun, so don't disappointed if things are inconsistent. In fact, expect inconsistencies with canon. Who the hell wants to match the canon line for line anyways?

It's a good thing there's that disclaimer thing where I don't any of Naruto and can't make money off of it, so I can make all the mistakes and poor decisions I want.

**AN:** I've been thinking about some holes in the background, and I've been going back through the anime and manga looking for details. From the minor continuity error's I've corrected so far, I have no doubts that it'll take at least a few months to familiarize myself with the background, so expect corrections to plot holes to be filled out gradually. Also I kind of have to wait for the manga to finish anyways, I'd like to include how it ends in some way. But it shouldn't be very noticeable, and if you see anything wrong feel free to remark as so in a review or PM.

For reference:

October 10th, Year of Kurama's attack would be the day of the attack and Naruto's birthday (his age would be less than one year).

* * *

Monday, March 20th, 8AKNT (After Kurama's attack, New Timeline)

A crudely made paper airplane lazily glided over the middle the class, towards the table at the front of the class farthest from the door. Sasuke Uchiha smoothly extended an arm, crunched the offending projectile, and tossed it into a paper bin a few yards away without turning his head. A collection of girls, with hair ranging from blond to brunette to pink, remained silent in awe only for a moment when Sasuke's arm suddenly shot out before they melted, and resumed fawning all over him. Kiba scoffed while folding another plane. He tossed it again to a reprimanding bark from his head-seated pup Akamaru.

This time, a streak of white flashed across the room, glancing off the Kiba's plane and right into Sasuke's hair before he could react. The cruder plane tumbled onto the ground, while Sasuke angrily plucked a sleek interceptor plane out of his ex-perfect hair. Everyone turned to the door from where the plane came from, only to see Naruto waltz in with easy confidence. He had changed into a more form fitting forest green t-shirt with the crest of Uzushiogakure and white khaki slacks, making for an overall sharp look, at least for a seven year old that was reading a book and not paying attention to anything else, reminiscent of Kakashi's habit of whipping out a paperback Make Out series romance and smut novel. There was absolute silence.

Most of the class was shocked that Naruto would let himself get caught with a book in his hand, let alone strolling in with one. Sasuke mustered his best glare at the blond brat, amusing Naruto to no end. _What the does this kid think he's doing… I'll show him!_

"Naruto, what the –,"

"Did that just –, "

"What's a book –,"

"Oi idiot–,"

"All right class, quiet down! It's time to start today's lessons!" Iruka wasn't sure what was happening, but the clock had just ticked 8 AM and it was time to start. Naruto had already gracefully relaxed in the front middle seat, still intently focusing on his book. _Wait is that a book in his hands? Naruto? Students should be paying attention, but Naruto… I don't want to discourage him._ Iruka decided to keep going as business usual. "Now class, we'll be going over the Five Great Shinobi Countries and before lunch, we'll have a quiz on our continent's geography…"

While Naruto was cool as a cucumber on the outside, he was anything but on the inside. It was surreal, and he had to resist flailing around to test out his 7-year-old limbs, or hug long lost friends who wouldn't know who he was. He still wasn't used to his short and scrawny stature. His body wouldn't really start to mature until puberty, so the best he could do is train his reflexes and get a light muscle buildup going. Thus the book, well more notepad for notes by Jiraiya in his earlier days, on fūinjutsu among the scrolls and books "borrowed" from the Hokage's old stores – better brush up on what had been lost in the chaos that had yet to happen. Shadow clones, along with his knowledge and experience, were his greatest tools. The power and knowledge necessary to change. He could read several books and practice control techniques constantly, dispelling clones in sequence to assimilate the memories and constantly deplete and stretch his chakra coils.

A far cry from when his mind used to match his physical age and he had barely been able to read. It seemed the more information he learned, assimilated, and drew conclusions between, the more he wanted knowledge he wanted to know. _Is this what __Orochimaru__ felt before he totally went off the deep end?_ Given his pace, he could look forward to become as knowledgeable and proficient at chakra control and jutsu use as the legendary Professor Sarutobi within several years. He was lucky that shadow clones didn't require very good chakra control, just a lot of chakra, seeing as how his chakra already knew his body structure perfectly. Efficient use of chakra that was hundreds of times larger than any jōnin's would be awe inspiring. Just in time to meet the challenges that'll come after a long period of relative peace in the Shinobi world. _Not that I don't have my work cut out for me. Things are off to a great start, but I'll need every advantage I'll get…_

* * *

"All right class, break for lunch and we'll begin our taijutsu spars once we complete our stretches."

With a seemingly coordinated scrape of wooden chairs on the floor, the gale of students noisily clamored out of the classroom, eager to move after a soporific quiz.

"Man, that was a tough one! What was that country that was to the…. Northwest? Or was it east… whichever one was in the upper right!"

"Did you forget your directions already? It's northeast!"

"So which country was it?"

"Er….."

Naruto slowly walked along the middle of the courtyard, absorbing the carefree childishness that surrounded him. Something he hadn't seen in quite a while, and something that he was certain not every child got to experience. He hadn't when he was this age in his other life. _And if I have any say, I'll make sure no other child has to ever again. Believe it!_ He snickered to himself. He was getting ahead of himself, and he knew he couldn't realistically save every child from neglect. Not without taking away some values that no human would or should let go of. Free will, to say the least. _I am not God. I've seen what happens when you go down that rabbit hole. Nagato. Akatsuki. Madara._

He felt for the S-ranked criminals. If there's anything Naruto learned to do, it was to empathize. He was one of the few who could understand and sympathize with their goals, as opposed to them as he was. He read across a few famous army generals before he made the leap back, and one sentence leapt to his mind: "It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."[1]

It used to be so much easier seeing everything in black and white, good and evil. But that wasn't the truth. No more than it would be to live in an illusion of perfect peace. But even he could admit if he lived in such a world, there was no reason why he wouldn't be happy along with everyone else. He wasn't even sure if that was right or not. Just as he continuously learned more and wanted to learn more, it seemed the more he understood the more he didn't understand. It seemed like an endless cycle of processing more and more information. He wasn't sure when he would reach his limit, for what he understood of the few psychology and neuroscience books he read, there certainly was one. _Perhaps those computers they're tinkering with now will outpace our brains one day…_

"Hey, did you see that loser with a book today? Something's different about him…"

_How long did I just space out? A moment, or longer?_ He made note not to ponder philosophy and the future of humanity during a battle. Maybe in his off hours when people weren't trying to kill him.

"Whatever, mother said not to hang out with him. He's dangerous, a bad influ… ance? What's influence? Do you know?"

He glanced around, and meeting several questioning, suspicious stares. Not that any of the kids knew why they should be put off by him, only that their parents told them so. And parents were usually right, at least when you were at that age and everything was all fine and dandy. If it was easy to understand and difficult to hate a group like the Akatsuki, then it was impossible to feel any ill will towards a gaggle of 7 and 8 year-olds who followed whatever their parents told them.

He wandered over to a pair of large oak trees, where a simple swing was attached to one of the stronger branches of the tree closer to the academy. He remembered that all the kids would shy away from the shady swing soon after he began sitting there often. The tree's looked just as sturdy before, and a whole lot healthier if his recollections served him well. He felt the curls of age that were unmarred by the scars of fire as he slowly swung on the set. He only peripherally noticed the blatantly curious stares he was getting from the children as well as a few chūnin instructors.

It would be a fine line to walk, creating as much change as possible. Shinobi saying number 13: "Never draw attention to yourself." A decent rule, good enough for most people like all the other the shinobi sayings. But diversions and smoke screens are yet another tool, and what's more useful at covering up the truth than another truth? Given his long term goals, he couldn't afford not to get noticed. He had to. Just as long as people noticed the parts he wanted.

Before he knew it, the instructors began calling classes back in. Iruka's class had the academy sparring room. As they trooped in and sat along the edges of the room, Naruto glanced around. He spied Sasuke's appraising and perturbed look. He hadn't fallen to the Curse of Hatred, or what Indra termed their temperamental predisposition towards relying on animosity to fuel motivation. According to the sealed scrolls of village records accessible only by the Hokage and a few other village council members, the date of the massacre had fallen on July 22nd of this year. 4 months from now. Delaying that massacre and breaking Indra's curse would be an important pivoting point, helping to breaking the endless cycle of battle between compassion and hatred. While time had muddled the exact details, the constant conflict between those two viewpoints among the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths was known at least peripherally by numerous ninja.

"All right class, you know the rules. No interference from the audience, and pairs must follow proper protocol and make both the symbol of Combat and Harmony. The first pair will be… Naruto and Sasuke!" Iruka finished with a grimace. _This might end badly, Naruto is far below Sasuke's level._

Naruto calmly stepped into the circle and squared off against Sasuke. The brother of the Uchiha's prodigy had a confident smirk on his face. _Probably excited to start matching up to his brother's reputation, am I the first one not to show insecurity towards him in a match?… The beginnings of an inferiority complex brought on by his brother's actions, topped with a superiority complex from his animosity._ At least only a few girls were cheering on Sasuke instead of the entire class, as the village was currently too in awe of Itachi. But it was clear no one expected anything from pariah.

They formed the seal of combat and Sasuke then rushed at him, obviously going for a quick victory. Then, before anyone could blink, Sasuke had face-planted onto the outside of the circle. _Wow I really overestimated him, a quick sidestep, trip andddd a nudge and he's already out._

The class was shocked, to the say the least. Iruka's mouth was too busy hanging open to declare the winner. Naruto held out two fingers to form end the match. Sasuke, after smoothing his clothes and looked up with an irritated scowl, grudgingly took his hand.

"Sasuke… lost? What?"

"Maybe he's not as good as his brother…"

Before the scowl on his face could deepen, Naruto intervened.

"Wanna get some ramen? My treat!"

Sasuke's face was one of surprise for a few moments, before he shook his head. "Sorry, I have to eat with my family." At least he still had tact. After the massacre he probably would've said something to the effect of _I don't hang out with losers_.

Naruto shrugged, before going to sit off by the sides. Most of the class leaned away, eying him warily. The Rookie 9 were far more tolerant, although they only extended him looks of curiosity. Well, except for Ino of course. "How did you do that? Sasuke should've kicked your ass! You've been the last in class for almost two years, ever since the beginning!"

"He probably thought the same thing," he replied behind a closed eye smile. Before she could continue, Iruka announced the next set of matches. Sakura Haruno sat in shock beside her. Sasuke kept watching Naruto, trying to figure out how he lost. It was cute seeing his face screwed up in absolute concentration, instead of utter contempt.

* * *

Sasuke didn't know what to think of the dead-last. He had always been preoccupied with the envy he felt for his brother, training hard everyday to try and surpass him. But Naruto's sudden change, the flashy and cool entrance, and his victory in the round of spars today had finally distracted the younger brother from his obsession. _No, that was a fluke. I just underestimated him, if I hadn't been so brash I would've won._ Sasuke cursed himself for being so eager to show off. But the next time, he would be sure to win.

The girls slowly began trailing off to their homes as their parents came to pick them up. The parents' expressions ranged from amusement to faint scowls. None of them expected their daughters' crushes to be reciprocated by a clan of greatness. A few were wary of the heartbreak that would be sure to follow at such a young, impressionable age. Even if shinobi children tended to grow up faster as a consequence of the lives they led.

And those who had dealings with the village council and knew of the efforts to segregate the Uchiha clan were suspicious. If the leaders of Konoha were weary of the Uchiha clan, there must be a good reason. Not many were against the Uchiha, but nor were they liked. They were respected and feared for their power, but not trusted to be the leaders and innovators of peace. And the walls that surrounded their clan compound, as directed by the council advisors against the wishes of the Third Hokage, certainly helped build the image of a proud, powerful, and detached clan.

Sakura Haruno's parents didn't expect their daughter to become a ninja. But they supposed she wanted to follow her crush, Sasuke, as well as prove herself to her peers and bullies. Kizashi thought she would grow out of the infatuation, maybe with a few tears. He found it sardonically amusing that she chose to become a ninja in the name of "love," and wondered if she would keep it up once she no longer had that reason. He hoped that whatever she chose, she would be true to herself instead of blindly following someone else's ideal.

On the other hand, Mebuki was far more irritated. These kids were about a decade too early to start falling in love, despite whatever the gold diggers and conservatives of this village had to say about it. Nor were they ready to prove their characters to each other. For all she knew, this Uchiha would be a total douche. _Shoes, I really need to stop using those curse words, or Sakura will end up just being as potty-mouthed as I am._

But both parents were surprised when they came to pick up their cute daughter that day. Sakura was trying to watch another kid out of the corner of her eyes, while her best friend Ino was blatantly shooting looks between Sakura's interest and Sasuke. They both gave a start when they recognized Naruto, having been in the village during Kurama's attack. They both respected the Sarutobi's wishes to have him regarded with respect, but in the face of the rest of the village's hatred, they had to keep their daughter away from him and the danger of being an outcast as well.

"I don't get it, how did Sasuke lose to someone like him?"

Sakura just shook her head, trying to avoid watching the boy who swung on the tree swing slowly while reading a book. She never really thought of him past the moments she saw the rest of the village turning their backs on him. She couldn't stand to see him cry whenever they did, but she couldn't do anything as the rest didn't either. But something told her it was wrong.

Now though, he was different. Naruto (was that his name?) had changed out of his usual rag tag clothes into something nicer, sharper, more handsome than most of the boys in class. Well, more like all of them, Inner Sakura reminded her. And it wasn't just that. He walked far… better. She couldn't come up with a better word. But something about him made her want to be near, to find out all about him.

But before she could do anything, her parents beckoned her over. It was time to go home and look nice for the next day, to maybe catch the eye of the Uchiha one day like all the rest of the girls were doing.

_Why would you ever want to do that?_

Then they wouldn't make fun of her forehead anymore, not if she got the coolest guy in class. Wasn't that the goal? She couldn't bear it if the rest of the village treated her like they did Naruto.

* * *

Iruka had just finished marking the last of the tests. The results were about what he expected, except for one test. _Naruto's._ Amazingly, he had scored a perfect ten out of ten. Far different from the failing scores he'd received in the previous two years. If he kept this up for the rest of school year, it would be amazing.

He'd been a rather taken aback when the Hokage requested he take Naruto's class. He'd actually been thinking about teaching for a bit, thinking back to his time at the academy goofing off. But when Sarutobi surprised him with the request to take the container of the nine-tailed fox, he'd been recalcitrant. He didn't hold anything against the boy, but he brought painful memories. It was all he could do not to fall into silent angst whenever he saw the boy. How could he deal with him in the classroom? But the Hokage asked, for a reason. The Hokage thought that he could connect with Naruto as a fellow orphan. And Kakashi had reminded him of this values.

And boy did he see himself in the boy. Loud, proud, rambunctious and craving attention. A face of bravado that hid an overwhelming sheet of despair and loneliness. Even worse, he was surrounded by a village that scorned, belittled and ignored him. Not just obliviousness, but outright rancor.

After forcing him to clean up after one his increasingly disruptive but ultimately harmless pranks – wet toilet paper traps around the entrance to the restrooms that one child had embarrassingly become tangled within – and write an apology letter to the student, Iruka had taken him out to a nice bowl of ramen at Ichiraku's at Sarutobi's mention. He had immediately cheered up, and began regaling him with the story of how he had to evade the scarce patrol of inexperienced chūnin to get into the academy and the several hours it took to get those paper traps _justtttt right_.

But just today, the Naruto he'd seen and sympathized with had changed. He was almost a completely different person, glowing with calm, yet radiant confidence. Ease of posture, straight and proud but not intimidating at the same time. A stance of greatness, almost like the way Kages and the better daimyōs and warriors held themselves. To see it on a seven year old was shocking to say the least, but not unheard of. It was an old rumor among the elder academy teachers that the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, held himself with such easy grace. Probably overstated rumors and confirmation bias.

But Naruto was the dead-last in class. Supposedly. And then he comes in today, sharper than Itachi Uchiha on his best I-woke-up-on-the-right-side-of-the-bed-for-once day, and aces the quiz while reading a book entirely unrelated to class. On a closer glance as he passed by during the test, the cover contained a faded diagram of what he barely recognized to be a seal. Fūinjutsu was an esoteric and arcane art, and books were just as hard to come by as masters ever since the destruction of the Whirlpool village and the Uzumaki clan. What on earth could Naruto be doing with a book presumably on a subject that even the great Third Hokage and Professor was still earnestly learning? _'Well his last name is Uzumaki... could he be from that clan?'_

But whatever else Iruka had yet to ponder on Naruto's change was cut short by a few outbursts.

"What, what is this?"

Iruka peered outside his door and saw a few chūnin instructors surrounding an old tree that sat outside the academy entrance. 9 human sized figures were scattered in a circle around a loosely swinging bench. A raccoon, cat, turtle, monkey, horse, slug, beetle, octopus and fox. _And I thought today couldn't get any weirder._ The instructors were already removing the figures and tossing them into the dumpster. In their haste, a small slip of paper fluttered out below where the fox figure had stood. A gust of wind blew the paper over the fence before Iruka could react.

As surreal as the sight was, Iruka would forget about it before the next day as the head instructor reminded him of the backlog on the paperwork and tests that were overflowing his drawers. He would have to hand back papers soon and submit the preliminary class reports within the month.

* * *

[1] – Sun Tzu, Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher.


	2. A Childhood to Cherish

_Tuesday, January 2nd, 18AKFT (First Timeline)_

"_There are several doctrines when it comes to playing your cards. Gradual escalation calls for slowly showing off your capabilities. A steady improvement of strength gives off the impression of dependability and promise of future greatness, good for building allies and networks, especially without arousing suspicion behind the true nature of your power, if it's any different from what you're displaying. You want your enemies to underestimate you and think they can predict your moves, and you don't want to upset your supporters, who may think your going to far if you suddenly use force and may even of betraying you if they think you're getting too powerful."_

_Shikamaru gracefully shifted his frontline pieces to match a foray Naruto had made. It was good, but he was about to be lulled into a fourth trap after thinking he had neutralized the first three. Shikamaru had gradually been building up his piece advantage between all the minor skirmishes, and Naruto's forces were showing it._

"_Another doctrine is the decisive strike. Concentrate the greatest amount of force at the key point of conflict. Crush enemy moral and organization and demonstrate your domination by taking as much force you can gather and take out their greatest or most important force. Of course, this one requires that you win, either through brute force and or superior tactics. It's also the one you'd probably like the most, at least given your tactics in the past. Charge in headstrong and destroy everything that stands in your way."_

_A promoted rook, with the support of a knight and a bishop, headed straight into the main contingent surrounding Naruto's king. Four moves later and, although checkmate hadn't been achieved and Shikamaru had lost the rook, half of Naruto's pieces had either been captured or pinned. A bad fix._

"_Of course, using just one of those doctrines isn't enough if you want to be the best. And manipulating the perception of your power is key, deserving a separate lecture from those two doctrines later. In short, faking weakness would be a feint or decoy, while intimidation and puffing yourself up would be a bluff. Constantly shifting between those two psychological manipulations and the two power distribution doctrines I just described are all up to your prerogative. The goal is to stop the enemy from knowing your true motives until it's too late to stop you from destroying them, running away, or whatever your objective is. Checkmate."_

_Naruto groaned, having lost yet again before dispelling himself. An even louder groan could be heard outside._

"_Shikamaruuuuuuuuu, your lectures always give me such a headache!"_

* * *

One week later, Monday, March 27th, 8AKNT

The real Naruto wandered around the village in the evening backdrop in order to avoid rousing suspicion from his constant ANBU shadows. Transformed shadow clones were scattered around the village, observing the daily activities and gathering intelligence. The mental reports confirmed that the village was on a normal peace footing. Security was lax for the economic interactions that made up the hub-dub of the village. The older generation was still war weary after all these years, tired of conflict and becoming complacent in what peace they could find. A different sight from the state of the world during the Fourth Shinobi World War in the older timeline. Traditions and inefficiencies were swept aside in the name of victory. Central capitals and ninja villages collaborated with farmers, craftsmen and each other. Specialization, up scaling of industries, reduction in consumer goods and the pushing forward of experimental technologies to press every single possible advantage was the modus operandi.

It was reassuring and distressing at the same time. If only the world could be so productive and fruitful in times peace instead of just in times of war. And if Naruto wanted to change that, he would have to find out everything there was to know about the current state of affairs, as well as find the people most capable of creating that change. Leadership of other leaders would be key, and his clone reports would take care of the foundations.

Now, it was time to reforge his connections with the best of Konoha. He had created cherished relationships with all of them in the other timeline, but it had taken time, and now he had to start all over. But he had faith in himself. Hell, he even got to Pein and Sai.

Thus his path to the park where some of the kids would play. The guys were rebellious and pig-headed, and thus didn't listen to their parents instructions to flee on sight. They were the first not to treat him like trash, although respect and close friendship were another matter.

He spotted Shikamaru playing shogi with Shino. He had just recently been introduced to the intricacies of the game by his father Nara Shikaku and was already trouncing anyone who would play him. Except for his father, for now. Shino had just respectfully lost, and sat back in nonchalance.

"Interesting game. Mind if I have a go?"

"Naruto, no offense but this game needs some serious thinking. Maybe we should play some ninja…"

"Nah I got this. Unless you're afraid to lose that is?"

Not one to pass up a new a challenge, he replied, "I warned you."

The game began in earnest. Shikamaru didn't expect much, or really anything. He wasn't even sure if Naruto knew how to move the pieces. And sure enough, he tried to move a pawn diagonally.

"Ugh, Naruto, that's not how that piece moves… it's like that…" moving his piece for him. Naruto continued moving his pieces erratically, with Shikamaru having to correct his moves sometimes. Despite the seemingly irrational patterns, Shikamaru could only build up a small advantage in pieces after several minutes.

And then the unthinkable happened. Naruto slowly took hold of a promoted rook and pinned down a pawn. Not that important, and Shikamaru decided to press his advantage and take out a bishop for free. But then another bishop slid into position and pinned down the offending piece. Now his whole offensive was stalled. His pieces were too disorganized behind his lines, and his dropped pieces were not helping at all. At a loss, Shikamaru would be forced to spend a few moves getting his pieces in position again. But Naruto's next moves kept boxing him in further, until finally a golden general took out a guarding lance and checkmated his king.

Shikamaru blinked for a few seconds before slumping back.

"I lost… and you don't even know how to play!"

Naruto had to resist gloating. It would be fun to hold his over Shikamaru, well at least for a bit. There was no doubt in his mind that Shikamaru would get way better than him soon.

"I won? Wow, I haven't even played this game before." At least, not in this timeline. "What's the game called again?"

Shikamaru palmed his forehead. _I'll have to get better, time to hit up the books and challenge Dad again._ He had really let himself go, playing against kids his age instead of pushing himself and learning more.

"How troublesome. Are you sure you don't know how to play?"

"Well I definitely know how now."

He stood up and walked to the edges of the crowd of kids who had gathered around the intense battle. Well, an intense battle for kids at least.

"Holy crap, the dead-last beat Shikamaru!"

"He's not dead-last anymore Kiba, he's moved up one to the 20th, he's beat out Hibachi. Shikamaru you better stop slacking in class or he'll pass you too!" Chōji was intrigued that someone actually managed to beat the shogi master.

"Come on guys, enough talk, let's play some lava monster! Last one on the building is the monster!" Naruto took off before anyone processed what he said, and missed out on the stampede. Shikamaru just shook his head, muttering something about troublesome blonds and needing to get better at shogi.

* * *

Tuesday, March 28th, 8AKNT

Naruto had snuck out of the boys only physical training and went to the grass fields where the kunoichi class was. He transformed into a cute blond girl complete with ridiculously long twin ponytails, even hiding the whisker marks. It took him ages to get genjutsu good enough to cover up those.

Sakura and Ino were trading flowers. Sakura hadn't gone all pink yet, and was wearing some tight light green slacks under her pink top. _Jeez, even at 7 she's ridiculously cute… although I guess since neither of us have gone through puberty she doesn't look sexy in the slightest. _He shuddered at that one._ Just aesthetically pleasing. _He was so not going down that path until he was at least well into puberty.

"_P__ss__s__st__t_, Sakura and Ino, it's me Naruto!"

"Naruto? I thought you were a guy…"

"Jeez Ino, don't you pay attention? It's a transformation jutsu." Sakura and Ino were both in awe at this fact. They had just started reviewing that jutsu in class, and it looked like Naruto already had it down pat.

"Sharp as ever Sakura," Sakura blushed at this one. _My first compliment from another guy!_ Well it was from Naruto, but better than nothing. And he was getting better, or at least less hated and a lot smarter. "The boys class was boring, so I snuck in here! What 'cha guys doing!?"

The girls shared a look.

"We're picking flowers, not that a guy like you would know anything about it."

"Hah, wanna bet!? If I can beat you in flower knowledge, you girls have to train with me!"

"Ewww training, why do guys always want to train!? I don't want to get fat and bulky! I need to remain skinny and pretty for Sasuke!" Sakura didn't share Ino's sentiments, as her teachers often told them that physical training was important to being a ninja. But then again, all the girls talked about staying skinny to attract Sasuke. _Is that really important? What about yourself?_

"But I don't think you'll win that bet, so I'll take you up on that! If we, that's right both of us, beat you, you have to…" Naruto cocked his head as Ino trailed off. Sakura snapped her fingers, remembering how Sasuke actually came up to Naruto last Friday and asked to spar with him again. Naruto trounced him again, this time with a solid punch to the gut. Sasuke had just scowled and stalked off after Naruto helped him recover.

"You've won against Sasuke twice! And he asked you to spar with him! Can you ask him to ask me out?"

"Hey wait, Forehead, what about me! And do you even like Sasuke? I thought you only said that because everyone else liked him!"

"Calm down girls, how about I get him to ask both of you out separately? You can charm him and whoever impresses him more can take him as a boyfriend!" Naruto wasn't totally sure how they leapt to the conclusion that Sasuke would actually listen to him, but he supposed they were surprised when Sasuke asked him to spar. Maybe he'd beat him in a few more times and teach him how to get better to earn his respect. Well he was planning to do so anyways… and it would be pretty hilarious to see Sasuke take out two girls on a date when they're 7. Well Sakura just turned 8 today actually. It would make a good birthday present for Sakura, well not that he would be telling her so.

"Yeah, I'll totally get him!" Ino forgot her irritation at Sakura liking Sasuke too. If Naruto recalled correctly, this was why they broke up as friends. And then proceed to become total Uchiha-tards. If he could get at least one of them to stop liking Sasuke, maybe he could save them years of angst and character stagnation.

"All right then Naruto, prepare to get crushed! Let's start off easy… what's this flower?"

"Daffodil. Represents respect, chivalry."

"Ohhh good, what about these?"

"Purple hyacinths. Sincerity, apology."

And on and on they went, until they ran out of unique flowers around the area to describe.

"Grrr, we're out of flowers. You see any other ones Sakura?"

"Nu-uh…"

"Well all right then, how about I start asking the questions! What does edelweiss stand for?"

"Courage, strength. Bring it!"

"Hydrangeas?"

Ino frowned. This one was tickling the back of her mind…

"Pride."

"Well well Sakura, nice save. Given your name, you should know what cherry blossoms stand for right?"

"Kindness, gentleness."

"On a roll… but it's time to win this. Crocus, delphinium, gladiolus, stephanotis."

Neither of girls knew what any of those flowers meant, having never heard of them. A minute passed before their looks of concentration finally dropped.

"All right you win Naruto…"

"Oh come on Sakura, we can't give up that easily!"

"Forget it Ino, we've already lost. What's this training supposed to be?"

"Glad you asked! After school, 3 to 6. Be prepared to get sweaty and dirty."

Ino groaned. _So gross._ Naruto began gathering a bouquet of flowers, made up of a beautiful arrangement of red roses, jasmine flowers, lilacs, and pansies.

"A beautiful arrangement for a beautiful girl." He handed them to Sakura, who blushed yet again, before he continued on. "By the way, a crocus represents foresight or cheerfulness. A delphinium is for boldness. Gladiolus, integrity and identity. And finally, the stephanotis for fortune and luck."

He quickly left the two dumbfounded girls. Who would've thought that a guy, let alone Naruto, would have an esthetic sense, and knew so much about flowers? _He knew more than me or Sakura…_

* * *

Tuesday, April 4th, 8AKNT

As expected, the girls didn't have much stamina. At all. 3 hours of light jogging, stretching and sparring later they were close to falling asleep on each other. Naruto took pity on them and put them both over his shoulders with some chakra enhanced strength and carried them to his renovated apartment.

Dumping them on the couch, he began preparing some skim recipe ramen, using the vegetables from the roof garden and base ingredients from the market, all which were bought and prepared for using transformed clones. He could totally get everything he needed if he transformed so nobody overcharged him.

By the time the broth was simmering and the noodles soaked in, the girls had finally stopped dry retching and were wiping themselves off with some fluffy white towels he had deposited earlier on.

"That was awful, let's never do that again…"

Truth be told, while Sakura's entire body was in post workout pain, she'd thought it was a good idea to do all that exercise, despite whatever negative effects it might have on her chances with Sasuke. And Naruto wasn't too bad company either, constantly shouting firm words of encouragement and keeping them going when they were about to collapse from their 12 minute a mile pace. Not at all bad for a lost bet on her birthday, not that she had told anyone. Naruto had to adjust his self-made weight seals to actually work out with them, not that he would ever tell the girls. It helped that his body was constantly exhausted with chakra from the egregious use of shadow clones.

"Dinner's ready, and don't you girls complain to me about being on a diet. Starving yourself is never healthy, especially when you're a ninja! You need to keep yourself energized and ready!" Naruto had to constantly remind them not to under eat. According to a study of past records by Sakura during her tenure under Lady Tsunade, food supply had the biggest impact on average height and chakra statistics. The older Sakura lamented once that if she hadn't starved herself constantly, she might've grown taller and bigger… in certain areas. Not that Naruto was complaining at that time.

Whatever protests they might've had were drowned out by their growling stomachs. Blushing fiercely, they half stumbled half crawled over to the dinner table. Moments later, they were gorging themselves on the remarkable healthy yet fulfilling ramen course Naruto had cooked up, with years of experience. He'd listen to his mother's advice to eat healthy. Using the Rasengan and chakra enhanced strength was totally worth it when preparing those noodles. _Mission experience for the win!_

Sakura and Ino were having the meal of their lives. After being worked to the bone, they couldn't get enough of the world class ramen. After several bowls, they finally began noticing their surroundings.

"Wow Naruto, _slurp_, you've got a pretty nice apartment," said Ino. "It looks nothing like the rest of this place. To be honest, I took one look at the paint and graffiti and didn't think your home would be any better." A week of reupholstering furniture, rebuilding and repainting the structure and salvaging the best of the recently thrown out had made Naruto's once trashy abode into a comfortable, practical and homely residence. Naruto swelled in pride at that one.

"Where are your parents at Naruto? Surely they'd be back work by now." Naruto's adoring smile dropped a little at that.

"I… I don't have parents."

"Wow, really? That must be awesome, not having to deal with all the nagging and orders and chores."

"Well, if you don't have parents, you kind of have to do all the chores, not just the ones they would tell you to."

Ino closed her mouth at that one.

"And parents really are a blessing in disguise. They work and make money to feed you, cloth you, and they love you. I wish I had someone to tuck me in at night and hug me whenever I got a good score on a test. It's always so lonely around here." Naruto was picking at his ramen, with a sad smile on his visage to complete the picture. Not that he needed to fake it, the mere thought that kids like him were common brought down his mood instantly.

The rest of the dinner passed by in quiet pensiveness.

Naruto walked them back afterwards, letting them lead him lest he arouse their suspicions for already knowing where they lived. Before Ino stepped through her door, Sakura piped up: "Naruto, if you wa-want, we can keep you company. This week… was okay. Right Ino?" She didn't want to leave Naruto all alone. Not after the time she's spent with him, she couldn't bear to leave him all alone again like she had before. She still felt guilty about it. Why would anyone ignore Naruto?

Ino shot her a look of _are-you-kidding-me-that-was-hell_ but relented after a few moments thought.

"Yeah… it wasn't too bad. But no more training. Or at least can we tone it down?"

"Heh, it wasn't too bad! You girls are already getting used to it!"

"That's what I'm afraid of… I can't get too bulky for Sasuke…" she mumbled as she went inside.

Naruto rolled his eyes and continued on with Sakura to her house. As they approached her door, Sakura had an idea.

"Naruto, do you want to meet my parents? I mean… since you…" Sakura was unsure what to say next. It really was a half-baked idea.

"Eh… maybe some other time. I don't want to intrude." Watching his toes rub against the ground, Naruto tried to remember what she had mentioned of her parents. She didn't talk about them often, or really at all. She had mentioned that they hadn't hated him like the rest of the village early on, but that they didn't really understand her as a ninja, and only knew a glancing pass of her character. She had become independent of them soon, during her apprenticeship with Tsunade.

But then Naruto felt eyes on him. Good thing his ninja instincts and training hadn't dulled in his younger body. Sakura's mother was watching curiously from behind the drapes. Naruto couldn't detect any hostility, so maybe he really could meet them soon rather than later.

"I'll catch you tomorrow." Before she could answer, he had walked off.

* * *

Wednesday, April 5th, 8AKNT

"Say Sasuke, wanna spar again?"

As usual, Sasuke was out in the forest, training as hard as possible at the same kunai and shuriken throwing exercise. The boy had no sense of variety, honestly. Just practice the same hardest exercise and use the strongest technique possible. Well not that he was any better at his "age."

Sasuke frowned at hearing this. Everyday after the academy, he would come here to train unless his father Fugaku or his brother Itachi actually bothered to help him. His mother Mikoto was good, but she was busy all the time too, tending to the compound and the social duties as the wife of the Uchiha head.

He didn't stray long at the academy, studying only so long as to ace the test. Even though tests were usually a cakewalk, he thought ninjutsu and taijutsu were more worthwhile to learn. Neither did he have time to waste hanging out with fan girls and jealous boys, as flattering to his ego the attention was on a subconscious level. He couldn't lose to his brother.

But Naruto was something different. He used to be the failure of the class, and now he was receiving top marks and outperforming everyone else in physical training, and it looked like he wasn't even focusing on the class. Not that he would space out or sleep like usual. He was always studying, thinking, or talking. Oh did he talk. With everyone else. It was like everyone forgot he was the dead-last and was hated by the adults. Just the other day, he'd seen Naruto and the guys at the training fields, working shuriken practice. He was giving tips and showing how to hit the bulls-eye, every time.

Even a few of the girls were starting to gravitate towards him, although most of them still listened to their parents and shunned him. He saw Sakura studying with Naruto in the library once when he went in the check out books on ninja tools. She was giving him books to read, while Naruto dived in with gusto, sometimes stealing glances at her out of the corner of his eye with an ever present grin plastered on his face. Sasuke felt ambivalent about that one – he never cared about the attention of them, but it was still nice. And Naruto looked so happy.

"If we spar, will you at least tell me how you beat me? How did you get to be so strong?"

"Let's make a deal. We'll go through a round of five spars. If you win any of them, I'll tell you my secret. If you lose all of them... you have to go on a date with Sakura and Ino. Each one, separately."

Sasuke wasn't too sure about his chances, but he only had to win one. He was sure to spot a weakness in his defenses by then. If only he had his Dōsatsugan so he could see better. But still, wasting time with girls seemed unappealing. _Well no pain, no gain. Let's do this._

"All right, you have a deal."

Several minutes later, to Sasuke's dismay, he had been beaten five times in a row. Naruto was so good that Sasuke couldn't make heads or tails of how to even begin emulating Naruto's taijutsu style. His stance and technique looked perfect with no wasted movements, and the movements that he did make we're either too fast or behind him, out of sight. He'd been unable to land a hit that hadn't been blocked or parried. That made him 0 and 7 with Naruto.

"By the way, you'll have to ask them out yourselves. I wouldn't do it in public if I were you."

Sasuke groaned.

"Say, I'll still tell you my secret. But you have to answer a couple of questions for me."

Sasuke looked up at that one. "Ask away."

"Why are you always training?"

"I want to get better, to be the best ninja."

"Why's that?"

Sasuke looked confused at that as they lapsed into silence.

"I, I want to be just like my brother. To be the best ninja of the class, to be number one."

"Why do you want to be like your brother?"

Sasuke couldn't ignore the pain that tore at his chest. He remained in turmoil for a minute, trying to string together sentences that would convey what he felt.

"Ev-everyone always talks about how great a genius he is. Sort of like how you are now. He graduated at 7, and became a chūnin at 10. But no matter what I do, I'm always behind. I'm almost 8 and I'm still in the academy, and everyone keeps comparing me to him. Be a great shinobi like him, I expect great things out of the... _hic_... brother of Itachi. I'm always the younger brother of Itachi, not Sasuke." Sasuke was sobbing by this time. "My father never tells me good job Sasuke, it's always keep it up and you'll be just like your BROTHER!"

Before Sasuke could drop to his knees, Naruto hugged him. _Only my brother ever hugged me..._

Once Sasuke had stopped crying, Naruto spoke up.

"You want to know my secret? I stay in school and study hard. That's what your brother told me to do you know. I'm sure he's told you this many times. He's the only one who looks at you and sees you right? So trust in his words, the same ones he told me. Study and train hard, with others. Make friends and ask for help when you need it, and give help when you can. By yourself, you can only go so far. But together with your friends, you can be great."

* * *

Thursday, April 6th, 8AKNT

"All right class, today we're going to try out the transformation jutsu. If you'll look on the board, you'll see the hand signs necessary for the jutsu. Dog, boar, and finally ram. We've gone over them in the past, and we'll review them again before trying it out. Don't be ashamed if you don't get it on your first try, and no matter if you succeed today, keep mediating. You'll need to work on molding your chakra if you want to be succeed."

Ino gave a start at this. "Say Naruto, don't you already know how to do this jutsu?"

Naruto almost slapped a hand to his forehead. If he kept this up, he was going to be hailed as a prodigy like Itachi. Then Sasuke would resent him too, and he wouldn't be able to stay with the rest of the Rookie 9.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone. I want to keep it a secret."

"Why would you want to do that Naruto?" asked Sakura.

Naruto gave a mischievous lopsided grin to the two girls seated next to him.

"It'll be useful for pulling pranks. Don't look surprised when I _pretend_ not to do it. And after school, we'll skip the training and do something fun."

"Ugh, the last time you said something was fun was when we did those pushups."

"Oh come on Ino, those pushups will help you hit other guys when they act out!"

"You mean like you?"

"Exactly!"

Ino gave him a dumbfounded look which shifted to one of annoyance when Naruto gave her a noogie while Sakura giggled on.

"Naruto, not the hair! I'm so gonna get you for that!"

* * *

Iruka gave a sigh when Naruto couldn't do the transformation jutsu. He had summoned so much chakra that it was visible, but nothing happened. He supposed it was the nine-tailed fox that threw him off.

But far from looking crestfallen like Iruka expected, Naruto only gave a laugh.

"All right, something hard for a change! I'll work harder than ever to master this jutsu! Nothing's going to stop me from being Hokage, believe it!"

Iruka couldn't help but smile fondly at Naruto for that. He'd changed so much in the past few weeks, and if he kept up his meteoric improvement he'd be at the top of the class. It warmed his heart to see Naruto not go down the path he'd gone down when he was a student, wasting his time on juvenile pranks, messing up on purpose, and then laughing at himself with the rest of the class. No, he was definitely growing up.

* * *

"Naruto..."

Iruka could only palm his face at the sight in front of him. When he caught them, the trio had been laughing it up. Now, Naruto had his arms behind his head, with a foxy grin of mischief painted all over it. Sakura looked embarrassed to the right of him, and Ino looked annoyed to his left.

Behind them, there was a man sized diorama of Kakashi and Guy doing one of their village renown challenges. Kakashi was reading his book as usual while doing an ollie with a skateboard, and Guy was hilariously going red in the face trying not to stumble while doing a kickflip. Iruka didn't even want to think about how they got the academy sparring dummies, paint, and the skateboards.

"Sakura, Ino, you two can go. Knowing Naruto, he probably roped you two into this."

They gave Naruto a hesitant look before Naruto motioned them to leave with a smile. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

When they stepped out earshot, Iruka gave a sigh.

"I thought you'd dropped this act Naruto. You're doing so well in class. Did you do this because you couldn't get the transformation technique? I mean, it's only your first—"

"Can you keep a secret? Even if you don't think it's a good idea for me to, please?"

Iruka slowly nodded.

"I can actually do the transformation technique." He formed the appropriate seals and turned into a perfect copy of Iruka before turning back.

Iruka gaped at the sight. "Th-then why did you fail in class? Why hide your abilities? And why the pranks?"

Naruto shrugged. "Shinobi saying number thirteen. Never draw attention to yourself. I don't really want people knowing I can do it? It might make the others jealous, and I don't want to drive away the new friends I have. And I don't want to leave them too. I heard what happened to Itachi. He had to leave all his friends in the academy behind because he graduated so early. I don't want to graduate early and leave them all behind. Plus its useful for pranks, if people know then they'll see it coming."

Iruka thought for a few moments before giving a sigh. "Naruto..." 

"Please sensei, I know what I'm doing. Please keep it a secret?"

"All right..."

Naruto gave a sigh of relief before turning away to follow the girls.

"Hey Naruto."

He turned around with a questioning look on his face.

"Good job on the transformation technique. I'm proud."

Naruto smiled right back and ran off to catch up. Iruka turned back when ran out of sight, only to be reminded that the prank was still here. Well, it wouldn't hurt to leave this until tomorrow. It was pretty funny. He couldn't wait to tell Kakashi about it. It seems like his one-sided rivalry with Guy really has been taking off.

* * *

Friday, April 7th, 8AKNT

Getting his body physically stronger, mind sharper, and chakra larger wasn't the hard part. At least not conceptually, but if Naruto had one skill mastered, it was putting in work. Even if reading history and logistical records was mind-numbingly boring. No, the part that took the most planning was keeping up appearances. Thus the book and the library. The ANBU had him under constant surveillance, under orders from Sarutobi, the Konoha Council, and Danzō. Mostly the last one. At least they were getting rather lax after years of the detail circulating around the ANBU ranks. Yūgao had told him during the fourth war that the ANBU who watched him often only did so out of the corner of their eyes, often practicing or reading up on skills like it was study hall. If they had actually paid attention, they might have caught the shadow clones and then it would be interrogation time for Naruto, but even if they had been paying attention Naruto doubted they would catch him. He hadn't spent all that time with Jiraiya around those bathhouses for nothing.

Indeed, Naruto's clones had already confirmed the inattentiveness of the ANBU over the past two weeks. They hadn't noticed when he came back on the evening of March 17th, 8AK, and he spent most of that weekend stumbling around in his apartment getting used to his young body. As much as he enjoyed instant ramen as an acquired taste and a comfort food, eating the low quality junk he had was pretty awful. Eating top quality ramen that was actually healthy had really spoiled him.

He'd changed his pantry and kitchen stock when he renovated his apartment's interior. His rooftop garden was a covered greenhouse, not suspicious enough to arouse any reports from the ANBU. It's not like they ever saw the real Naruto enter the thing, so they figured it was probably a neighbor's.

But if anyone was going to notice his shocking changes and actually make a big fuss out of it first, it would be the old man. Sarutobi kept tabs on almost all the notable shinobi and civilians in the village, being the most efficient task master Naruto had ever seen, even after seeing the stressed leadership of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Tsunade really was not happy about the paperwork and delegation explosion.

"Hey Naruto, fancy seeing you here at a library. I guess you've finally taken my advice to take your studies seriously huh? I've staved off the beast of paperwork for a few hours. How about we get some ramen and you tell me about the academy? Iruka tells me you've been making great improvements."

Speak of the devil. Even with all his experience, he still found himself inclined to say yes to the Hokage, all other things being equal. Still, it was a good opportunity to give his cover some street cred.

"Ramen? HECK YEAH OLD MAN LETS GOOOOOOOOOO!" And with that, Naruto dragged the elderly Hokage through the streets to the venerable Ichiraku ramen stand, much to the amusement of the watching ANBU who would know nothing of the clones tending the garden, reading "borrowed" scrolls, or creating chaos at a nearby waterfall.

* * *

"I'll have the usual, Teuchi."

"Give me the new usual too!"

"6 large miso ramens with roasted pork fillet, coming right up!"

The Hokage gave a start at that. 5 miso ramens? Naruto always had a hankering for ramen, but this was just...

"Wow Naruto, are you sure you can eat all of that?"

"Hah, you haven't seen anything yet! Those are just the appetizers! I have to eat a lot with my new training regimen!"

"Training you say? I didn't know kids your age had already started working so hard." 

"Well it all started after seeing Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. Everyone keep's talking about him being a genius and all, and I want to be Hokage some day! So I asked him what tips he had, and he told me to train and study hard. Now I read and train all the time! And boy does reading books make me hungry! And, there's this really pretty girl in class, Sakura. She has to be the most beautiful girl I've ever met, and she's super smart too! Smartest in the class, and I want to impress her..."

Hiruzen continued taking in Naruto's words. Somehow he was guzzling down all the ramen and spouting out more words than Kakashi said in a year. And he really didn't lie when he said the five bowls were just an opening, Teuchi had already laid down another 10. Good thing being a Hokage paid well, and Naruto could look forward to enjoying all the ramen he wants when he becomes Hokage. _Seems like he's finally taking things seriously, I'm proud of you Naruto._

"... And I saw this really cool masked ninja walking down the street one day, and he was reading a book while he was walking. This really weird guy in a green jumpsuit challenged him to something, but the cool ninja was totally cool and said 'I'm sorry, did you say something?' and these two other ninja nearby said that those two ninja were the best jōnin in this village and that must mean I can be better than them both if I'm super cool, read and am excited all the time! So I went go everywhere with a book now and I challenge Sasuke all the time in class and win of course..."

Hiruzen nearly choked on his ramen at that. _It's like Kakashi and Guy had a kid, oh the hilarity if either of them ever found out._

The Third Hokage eventually found himself footing the bill, and thanked Naruto for the great stories. It was worth getting a head start on all that paperwork just to talk to him, as usual. If only Minato and Kushina were around to see their son grow up. Oh, if they knew their son was reading forbidden scrolls from his stores, they would be laughing their asses off.

* * *

Naruto gave a sigh of relief on his walk back home. He covered his actions well, hopefully buying himself some more leeway for the drastic changes he had yet to show. His new motivation would be the "decisive moment" that made it plausible for him to constantly "improve." It would be a while until the chūnin exams, when he make another pivotal change.

But that was getting ahead from himself. The most pressing conflict in Naruto's mind was the subject of the future Uchiha massacre. Observations of Itachi had been scant, as his clones had been cautious in observing the prodigy who surely would catch them if he made any mistake. But they all confirmed his future knowledge. Itachi was constantly brooding, thinking, become recluse from everyone, including both his brothers – his proclaimed one Shisui and his blood one, Sasuke.

If Danzō's original goal was to destroy the Uchiha clan and keep the Sharingan for himself, Naruto had to admit he was doing a perfect job. The leadership of Konoha already saw the Uchiha clan as a threat, a danger to the village – their extermination would be imminent if nothing changed. In two months' time, Shisui would fail to stop Danzō who would take one of his Mangekyō Sharingan eyes, and Itachi would be forced to destroy his clan from the manipulations of Danzō, with the help of Obito disguised as Madara. Danzō had miscalculated Itachi though, who wouldn't kill his brother Sasuke. That one would bite him in the ass later.

But at this point in time, keeping the Uchiha clan around would be just as bad as letting Itachi kill them all. There was an irreparable rift between them and the Konoha leadership, and the general public didn't like them either. Should they continue to exist, their coup d'etat would certainly take place, and that would send the village into chaos regardless of if they succeeded or not. Either they would take over and the population would rebel, or the village would be left crippled from the conflict, and other villages would be drawn in. Another World War there. Danzō sure was a crafty bastard, creating a controlled threat in order to obtain power and protect the village. There was too much hatred and animosity for an understanding to be easily reached. And Naruto was in no position to siphon off any of those negative feelings. If only someone powerful who had even the smallest chance of listening to him was here, like Jiraiya. Too bad he was too busy spying on Orochimaru.

He was already getting a headache just thinking about it, and the training from his clones certainly was not helping. A nearby advertisement for scratch cards caught his attention. Feeling lucky as usual, he bought when scratched off the tiles to reveal a moderate cash reward. At least he still had Lady Luck on his side, unlike Tsunade who would still be on her losing streak. Dispelling his doubts and second thoughts, he stuffed the wallet back into his pants. _I would never forgive myself if I just let this injustice happen. I may not be able to save the clan, but I have to do something. _The massacre would bring nothing but pain and destruction, not peace, regardless of the good intentions of Danzō. And killing Obito would be a boon. He couldn't afford to be like Hiruzen, trying to save every last single soul, although Naruto was cutting it close. It would be too difficult to turn him at this point in time, and something told him the man wouldn't mind dying, not after the life he'd lived. Maybe he'd see Rin, wherever anyone goes after death.

Naruto was even having doubts about trying to save Sasuke. The Uchihas had always been quick to conflict and hatred, the so called Curse of Hatred. And Orochimaru's curse mark had made a disposition into a full-blown flaw. At this point, preventing the massacre looked impossible, and Sasuke would be devastated. Orochimaru would try to get the Sharingan no matter what, and keeping a 24/7 guard on Sasuke or any other Uchiha who wasn't strong enough to fight back like Itachi would be impossible. One mistake and the curse mark would placed, and it would probably be all over. In fact, keeping the Uchiha clan alive was be a risk that was starting to look worse and worse, worse than letting the clan be destroyed. There was just too much potential for abuse.

But still, letting it happen, Naruto felt sick just thinking about it. There was no way the entirety of the clan was complicit of treason, and even those who were didn't deserve to die as victims of circumstance. Everything was starting to become overwhelming, and Naruto decided to call in an early night.

* * *

"_Pathetic. Is this the best the Five Great Shinobi Countries can offer?" Madara stood tall on the statue, and Naruto felt nothing but anguish. Kurama had been extracted out of him already, both the Yin and Yang halves, only adding to his feeling of crushing helplessness._

_The Ten-Tails was shortly unleashed afterwards, and Madara sealed it into himself while gloating._

"_It's over Naruto," Sasuke sneered, "Looks like you failed yet again. It's all you're ever good for. Did you really think you could distract me from my hatred? How could you even dream of being Hokage, if you couldn't even 'save' me? Not that I needed saving."_

_The scenery warped as the Eye of the Moon Plan came into effect. Naruto found himself in Sakura's arms, surrounded by his friends who were all chatting away happily at Ichiraku's. Naruto sure felt happy, but something felt off. Wasn't he feeling just the opposite a moment ago? _

_Sasuke laughed nearby at something Ino said. Sasuke laughed? Wait a moment..._

"_Hey Sakura, weren't we doing something earlier? We were doing something important..."_

"_Yeah silly, it was your birthday! Did you already forget opening your presents?"_

_His birthday. That was strange. No one ever celebrated his birthday. Even after he saved the village after Pein's attack, no one celebrated. There just wasn't any time, and everyone was either worn out or downtrodden. Like they had the life kicked out of them, and they really had, losing their homes and jobs and everything._

_Wait. Konoha had been destroyed. And they defeated Pein, who wasn't even the biggest fish in the sea. Madara. They were fighting Madara! Where is he now? Naruto felt his content wash away, his heart beat accelerating, and he stumbled out Sakura's grasp, sweat beading on his—_

Naruto gave a roar as he fell off his bed. He immediately began retching onto the floor. He was going to have to clean that one, just as soon as he finished moping in the bathroom. He crawled over his ex-clean floor.

He stayed hunched over the toilet as his heart rate slowly calmed down. Could he do this? The overwhelming feeling was starting to come back. He had the advantage of knowledge, but it was starting to feel inadequate. It was getting harder and harder to stay upright, to keep chugging when he couldn't see the end of the tunnel. And it had only been a few weeks.

"It looks like the Uchiha massacre will make, or break me. Let's see if I can do some good."

Five clones soundlessly popped into existence around him. After they cleaned up the mess, he gave the order.

"It's time I stepped it up. Keep a constant watch on Itachi, record everything he does. Dispel when I'm awake, I don't want to miss a thing. And most of all, don't be seen."

It would be hard to convince any leaders in the Konoha government to change their mind or make a move, and Naruto hadn't even come up with a good solution to the crisis. Yet. But even if it did still happen, he could convince Itachi to go about it better. For his brother. No way would he let Sasuke fall again. But while he was waiting for the right move to make, he might as well have some fun and be a kid, while he still could.

* * *

Monday, April 10th, 8AKNT

"Hey I-Ino."

Class was about to begin, and Naruto was already having trouble holding in his laughter at what was about to happen. He had to lean against Itachi's arm, who deadpanned that he came solely to drop Sasuke off.

Ino's heart was beating faster and faster. _Sasuke's actually talking to me? Holy cow, what do I say, what do I say?_ She settled on saying nothing, her brain being too frazzled to come up with anything better.

Sasuke was feeling nervous. He'd never gone on a date, never even thought about it, and thus had to ask his mom and Naruto for help. Naruto just laughed in his face for a few minutes before telling him he was out of luck asking another 8-year-old who knew nothing about dating. Technically, Naruto had never gone on a date in this timeline. Mikoto was a little more helpful, giggling while she told him to just ask her to eat lunch with him. She handed him two bento boxes before going off to her husband to laugh at the absurdity of an 8-year-old actually going on a date. Itachi actually giggled when Naruto told him between fits of laughter, despite Sasuke's incessant begging not to.

"Wanna eat lunch with me? My mom brought enough for the both of us. No-not that I'm actually... er Naruto made me!"

Naruto palmed his forehead. Sasuke was probably too nervous and impatient to ask her out privately. Could Sasuke be any less tactful? Talk about embarrassing. He looked up just in time to see Ino shoot him a surprised look before returning her attention to Sasuke.

"Uhhhh, sure."

Everyone else was too shocked at the proceedings, having actually seen both the prodigy of Konoha in person, and then hearing his brother ask out another girl.

Iruka came in and called the class to attention, surprised that they weren't making any noise. Until he caught sight of Naruto and Itachi. _What did you do this time Naruto... I better not have to clean up any bathrooms again._

* * *

Watching the two eat lunch was, underwhelming, to say the least. They just sat there in silence the entire time, both unable or unwilling to say anything. The most awkward 30 minute date between kids Naruto had ever seen. He hoped the second kid date he would see in his life would be better. Sakura sat next to Naruto, unable to badger Naruto with any more questions and was instead over thinking about soon-to-be first date with Sasuke Uchiha. _Well at least Ino didn't do very well._

After lunch, Naruto once again trounced everyone at shuriken throwing to the decreasing surprise of the rest of the class. As he was returning the shuriken, Hinata came up to him. Naruto saw her coming out of the corner of his eyes, and had been prepared to let the girl down gently. She fell in love with an idea, not him. Or so she said in the other timeline. Naruto was partly glad he was too dense to see her antics before she finally wised up.

"N-N-Naruto..." was all she could get out before she ran away with a red face. Naruto heard Guy's voice in his head sighing about the joys of youth.

"Hey Hinata, want to get some ramen with me?"

And there she faints. Naruto could've sworn she wasn't this bad before they had graduated, but then he reasoned that a date at this age would be shocking to anyone. Sighing, he picked her up on his shoulder and carried her back to the clan compound, where he met a faintly bemused Hiashi Hyūga.

"Hey old man, I'm taking your daughter out on a date later tonight. She fainted when I asked her after she tried to ask me. See ya later!"

And Naruto then walked out before the clan head could react with a sweat drop. Well, if anything, maybe Hinata socializing with Naruto would do her some good. He had heard interesting things about the nine-tails container recently. Something about a genius with a gold heart in the making. Hinata could do a lot worse for a first date.

* * *

"So Hinata, what are your dreams?" said Naruto between slurps of some of Teuchi's ramen. Ayame was doting on the couple. _They are so cute! Oh Naruto, only you would have the guts to go on a date __when you're seven__._

Hinata could not believe the turn of recent events. She had always admired Naruto for having something she so desperately lacked, confidence and spirit. And now he had changed so much in the past few weeks, making friends with everyone even when no one but her liked him to begin with. Although why the latter was true Hinata could never figure out. And now she was on a date with him. It was like a dream come true.

"Well... I want to... become stronger. I will one day become the clan head, and I need to be strong for that."

"Oh wow, you're going to be head of the Hyūga clan? I hear you guys are super powerful. And have really cool eyes. The Byakugan right?"

"Uh huh..." Hinata couldn't bring herself to say anything and was slowly reverting back to silent panic.

Naruto took a hold of her hand, trying to make a move. On her confidence.

"Hey Hinata, there's no need to be so nervous and shy all the time. Just relax and enjoy the fight, all right? I'm sure you'll make a great clan head some day. The best of the best, all you have to do is work hard, and believe in yourself! Trust me, I was the dead-last of class. I always wanted someone to respect me, and I wasted my time pulling pranks for attention. But now I know the truth. If you want to be respected, loved, and happy, you have to believe in yourself! Know that you can do well, see that you can always improve, and never give up! I believe in you Hinata, I believe that you can believe in yourself!"

Hinata finally stopped shaking through a valiant effort. _It's a start. She'll be great one day. _Hinata was able to actually make confidence throughout the rest of the "date."

When they had finished eating, Naruto paid the bill and walked her home.

"Hey Hinata, don't take this wrong way, but uh, I don't like you that way. You know. But this date was still pretty fun. Maybe we can hang out some other, yeah?"

"Yeah... I'd like that too." Hinata watched as Naruto strolled away. She sighed. Well, at least she had his friendship. There were always other guys to meet and chase.

* * *

Tuesday, April 11th, 8AKNT

Sakura had lamented over the failure of her date with Naruto on the walk to school. Apparently, Sasuke had asked her once they'd left school, and took her out to a simple dango shop. It wasn't much different from Ino's date, although at least Sakura had tried to make conversation. But really, when you were 8 there wasn't much to talk about. Or do. All they really did was stare at each other. Sakura couldn't take it and excused herself early.

"I had so much more fun pulling pranks with you. Oh jeez, the look on sensei's face when he found the chalk board yesterday."

"Pfff, that's cause we always have fun together."

"Yeah, we do don't we? Sasuke was a total bore, and dating is nothing like what the other girls said. It was totally lame. I think I'm just going to focus on having fun and becoming a ninja."

"Weeeeeelll, I know just the thing to do! Come on, if we hurry we can totally replace all the boys and girls bathroom signs." And with that, they took each others' hands and ran off towards the academy.

* * *

Lesson learned boys and girls, don't date when you're eight. Or seven. It just doesn't work. And stay in school.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday, January 9th, 1AK

"There are too many unanswered questions surrounding this recent tragedy."

Koharu shifted a few papers around, uncovering a picture taken at the location of Naruto Uzumaki's birth. Bodies of ANBU littered the floor.

"I thought that Kushina's seal had been broken. But that doesn't explain why Biwako and the ANBU were killed."

"Which means someone is behind this."

"Like someone from the Uchiha?"

Sarutobi could only groan inwardly at this direction.

"Why do you say that, Danzō?"

"Even if the Nine Tails broke free, it would have just gone wild. Without someone to control it, it couldn't have caused this incident."

Homura blinked his comprehension.

"Hence, the Sharingan."

"The Uchiha can control the Nine Tails with their Saimingan..."

"Reasonable, but what is their motive?"

"To regain their position of power within the Hidden Leaf Village."

"I see."

"That's just conjecture. We mustn't be too hasty and paranoid in jumping to the easiest conclusion, especially when it concerns our comrades."

"We must increase our surveillance of the Uchiha. We must keep them under 24 hour watch. Besides, we all know of the Uchiha clan's, _colorful_ history."

"That's bound to incite them unnecessarily."

Danzō shrugged.

"Let the ANBU do it secretly."

"Better safe than sorry."

Koharu grunted her agreement.

"Wait! We don't know if the Uchiha are responsible for this."

"That's precisely why its necessary! Besides, if nothing turns up, the Uchihas will be in the clear."

* * *

Monday, February 2nd, 6AK

"Complaints about harsh treatment by the police force are on the rise. The Uchihas have been needlessly draconian, dealing out harsher punishments and detaining peace disturbers for longer than necessary."

"People have started to distrust them."

Danzō inwardly smirked to himself at the recent trend. The Uchiha clan may have been compliant to their discrimination at first, but a proud clan like theirs could only tolerate things for so long.

"The Uchiha are growing impudent."

"No, it's backlash. The negativity from the Nine Tails' incident six years ago still hangs over them."

Sarutobi's old teammates no longer saw it that way. In fact, Sarutobi was sure they didn't even see the past as it was. With Danzō's influence, they'd come to effortlessly bend the facts to their will, to match reality with their perception. The past was no different.

"The Uchiha didn't suffer any damage that time. None of their members sustained any casualties from the Nine Tailed Fox. In fact, they were no where near the action, instead remaining behind with the civilians. Even then, it was only the Fourth Hokage's mastery of space-time ninjutsu that saved them from death."

"That is the reason why the populace no longer regards them as honorable protectors of Konoha. They are cowardly, manipulative, and allowed their fellow shinobi to die in their place."

"Do not forget, it was Danzō who ordered them to guard the civilians instead of subduing the beast as they could have with their Saimingan. Moreover, the Uchiha viewed our distancing them from the Nine Tails, as a sign of the Hidden Leaf's distrust. They were not to blame."

"They were ordered to the back because only an Uchiha could have instigated the attack. Ever since the Warring States period, they've given no proof of trust. The Second Hokage was the one to institute our principle strategy of isolating the Uchiha clan. Why are they raising a fuss after all this time?"

"The Second Hokage's intention was not isolation. He was just concerned for each clan. Have you forgotten about our friend Kagami Uchiha?

"I haven't forgotten. He saved my life many times with his Sharingan."

"The Uchiha clan is an integral part of the Hidden Leaf. We must ensure they stay that way."

"If we can."

* * *

Thursday, July 2nd, AKNT

Naruto and the rest of the Konoha 9 were lounging in one the Inuzuka clan fields, complete with comfortable grassy fields and a fresh, cool stream that was perfect for the summer weather. They had spread out a feast on one of Sakura's family blankets, and were slowly dissolving the food and chatting away as they cooled off from an intense session of capture the flag. To Naruto, it had seemed like they'd been together forever, like there had never been a time before they were friends.

Yet the past two months of carefree companionship flew by too fast for Naruto's tastes. One of his clones had just dispelled, adding another disquieting report to what been confirmed as a rapidly deteriorating situation.

* * *

Saturday, April 15th, AKNT

A stone slab with the Sharingan carved on top, guarding the secret meeting place of the Uchiha clan underneath Naka Shrine, slid over as Naruto's clone performed a set of seals memorized from the 24/7 stakeout at the perimeter. Making his over, he removed one of the torches and transformed himself into it, coating himself with a smattering of natural energy. His body hadn't enough chakra yet to support Sage mode, but it was enough to disguise himself as an inanimate organic object.

As evening fell, Uchiha clan members began filing into the secret meeting place. Naruto spied Itachi's expressionless face within the crowd. Within a few minutes, nearly 200 members of the Uchiha clan had assembled, most of whom were shinobi. From what he'd heard, most of the civilian and retired Uchiha clan members were only aware that a coup d'etat was happening and were given orders to simply support the change once it happened.

Fugaku cleared his throat, and the room fell silent.

"Our plan is nearly in place now. We are only waiting on a few more adjustments, and then we will strike. Those of you who still have outstanding tasks, please report."

"We've finished planting evidence of discrimination and power grabbing maneuvers by the council. As expected, we weren't able to amass anything substantial on Danzō. Nothing that looked legitimate anyways. No one in the public really knows him, and we suspect he has plenty of falsified documents proving his devotion to the village in case of such an exigency..."

Naruto's thoughts turned more sour as he heard the sordid details of the Uchiha's machinations. They'd infiltrated most of the critical departments of the Konoha government, either through blackmail, bribes, or in a few extreme cases, murder and impersonation. Documents were in place to oust those who would fight back or would be sympathetic to the Third Hokage. Regular shinobi and ANBU alike were prepared to either assassinate troublesome teammates, subordinates and higher echelons, or had suppressed them through blackmail and bribes. They'd even had a few officials blackmailed into speaking out for them or staining the Hokage's reputation by acting irrationally "under his command" once the signal was given.

The list of preparations went on and on, and Naruto couldn't help but feel like he was watching a high level game of shogi, only there were 3 factions and no one knew for certain who's pieces belonged to who. And it was obvious that Itachi was the most important piece in the best position, ready to strike lethally at any of the factions. But Naruto knew where his loyalties would lie.

"Itachi, how was your mission report received? Have you been placed in charge of those three squads we've spoken of?"

Itachi remained silent for a few seconds, showing no reaction.

"The report has yet to be processed. My ANBU commander and the Hokage have been busy with other reports and our next mission."

Some of the other members scowled. Apparently, Itachi already wasn't very popular among his clan. Many members were jealous of his skills and his position in both the clan, as the son of the head, and in the village, as ANBU captain at 13.

"Very well Itachi. Keep pressuring them, they'll place their priority on you soon. Your task will be the last one to be completed before we strike. Meeting adjourned."

* * *

Sunday, April 16th, AKNT

Itachi kneeled in front of the Konoha Council, Danzō, and the third Hokage, preparing to give his report.

"They're close to striking. My mission report and promotion is the last piece to fall into place before the strike. The others have finished preparing, and I've retrieved the last three lists of officials bribed, blackmailed and otherwise influenced to take part in the coup d'etat.

This one was far tougher to infiltrate. The private meeting room the Konoha Council often used with just the Hokage and any other attendants had security and silencing seals in every nook and cranny. Even the plants were security devices themselves, changing color temporarily at any chakra molding and usage. The ANBU had a constant guard on the place as well. Naruto had managed to fake orders to move one of the guarding ANBU squads to guard Naruto more closely. A trio of shadow clones wore disguising seals, tailored with a sample of each of the replaced ANBU to match their chakra signatures, in addition to ANBU uniforms and replica masks. Naruto lost 7 clones in developing those seals from a less than perfect design he'd come across in one of his father's notes. Then again, the seal he was developing to halt space-time manipulation in an area was proving far more deadly for his clones.

"Excellent work Itachi." Danzō turned to Hiruzen. "Do you see now Sarutobi? There is no hope for a peaceful resolution. Like an animal backed into a corner, the Uchiha clan is prepared to strike as hard as they can, or die trying. They think nothing of the village, everything of themselves, and will not hesitate to take what they believe is rightfully theirs."

"That's what I used to think about the village's attitude towards Naruto, but look how he turned opinions around with empathy and understanding!"

"Danzō is right, Sarutobi. Action must be taken against these rebels before things become out of hand. We were right to distrust them from the start, and we can no longer treat them with mercy. They are a threat to our village and peace. Should their coup take place, Konoha will be thrown into chaos, a bleeding flounder surrounded by an ocean of hungry sharks. A disruption of this magnitude will be the impetus that starts a fourth shinobi world war!"

"Itachi is in the perfect position right now. His power is unrivaled by any current Uchiha clan member who supports sedition, and as such has unparalleled knowledge and access to clan routines and activities. Shisui, as loyal as he is to Konoha, would never willingly betray the Uchiha clan, not unless there was another option. Without involving village forces, Itachi himself can destroy the clan."

"Homura, not in front of the boy!"

Despite Itachi's steel, Naruto knew the anguish he must be feeling. Hiruzen could only doggedly advocate for the Uchiha's clan existence for so long, and eventually they'd have to face the music if the circumstances didn't change.

* * *

Wednesday, May 31st, 8AKNT

"What is it, commander Danzō? It's almost time for the assembly to start."

"Even if you use your Saimingan on Fugaku to get the clan to cooperate, what if the _Village_ doesn't change?"

"The Hokage has promised to make it change. If both sides continue to gaze upon each other through the lens of the past, nothing will change, and eventually our village will waver under the pressure. And the Fourth Shinobi World War will begin."

"Even if the Sarutobi is satisfied, the distrust among the Leaf will not go away. You cannot undue generations of animosity by changing one man's mind."

"I realize that, but in time-"

"Besides, someone who's always suspicious like me will never change. And there are more people like me than there aren't. What will you do then?"

"But Danzō..."

"When the time comes, will you use your Kotoamatsukami on me too?"

"I..."

"I shall not allow that to happen. Your Sharingan, shall be in my safekeeping!" Danzō lashed out, about to take Shisui's eye before he cast a low level genjutsu in the blink of a red eye.

"It's only genjutsu. You'll snap out of it shortly." Shisui walked away, prepared to do what he could to save the village and the clan.

Unfortunately, Danzō had already used Izangi with his right eye, and teleported in front of Shisui before unleashing a devastating 3 hook combo that bent reality, and lifted him up before jabbing out to steal Shisui's right eye, all with just one arm.

Shisui finally managed to react, and quickly retreated, his eye stabbing with pain. Danzō replaced his now useless right eye to Shisui's horror.

"Give me the other too." A horde of ANBU descended next to Danzō as Shisui flew through hand signs to release a concentrated fireball. The ANBU countered with spews of raging waves, just as Shisui predicted. In the seconds it took for the superheated steam to clear, he'd already fled.

"Go after him!"

* * *

"Is that you, Shisui?"

"Come with me."

They traversed a cliff overlooking the Nakano river, where they held their discussions on the future of the Leaf and Uchiha relations.

"There is no way to stop the Uchiha's coup d'etat anymore. A civil war will happen in the Leaf, and the other countries will take advantage of it to attack. It will turn into a world war."

"Have you given up already Shisui? I'll admit, I've been close recently. But watching the younger generation has inspired me to remember ours. Naruto, the village pariah, shunned for by an undue burden and memories people cannot lay to rest has united his peers in a class brimming with potential."

"It's too late. Before I could stop the coup d'etat by using Kotoamatsukami, Danzō stole my right eye. He doesn't trust me. He's decided to protect the village his own way."

"He'll probably try to get my left eye as well. I'll give it to you before that happens." Itachi nearly lost his lunch when he saw Shisui squelch the eye out of his left socket. "You're my best friend, the only one I can ask this. Please protect the village. And the Uchiha's name."

Itachi accepted the eye with a summoned crow, before it dispersed in a burst of feathers.

"All right. What will we do now?"

Shisui began backing off, perilously close to dropping off the edge.

"If I die, several circumstances will change. I've already left behind a suicide note."

"Wait, Shisui!"

"Don't stop me, Itachi. If you're my friend..."

* * *

Thursday, June 1st, 8AKNT – 3AM, emergency council meeting

"Shisui Uchiha was a core member of the Uchiha. His suicide demoralized the rest of clan, as well as dropping their self-perception of military power."

"So the coup d'etat has been foiled. For now."

Sarutobi sickeningly remembered when he gave Shisui permission to work with Itachi and try to prevent a civil war from breaking out.

"Are you saying there was no other way but for Shisui to give his life? I shouldn't have pushed him."

Danzō had surmised that Shisui had gone to Itachi once he'd managed to shake his ANBU pursuers. It was a shame that the fight just ended up with him trading eyes.

"There are a few among the Uchiha who believe that you killed Shisui." _You know the truth. What are you going to do about it?_

If someone as great as Shisui could not best Danzō in combat, Itachi knew he had no chance.

"The ones who believe that did not know that Shisui and I were working towards the same goal. Shisui did not appear at our rendezvous point." _Just as long as we save the village._

"He had secrets, so he was suspected. I will notify the ANBU that it was officially a suicide. Agreed, Hiruzen?" _Very well. Finish the job._

* * *

Tuesday, June 13th, 8AKNT

"Fugaku has decided to continue with the coup, despite Shisui's death."

"We can't allow this anymore! They call it revolution, but if their real intention is to take back political power no matter the cost to the village, we'll have to treat them as rebels."

"Koharu, wait! Don't jump to conclusions. We can still reason with them."

"Hiruzen, the Uchiha aren't going to stop. We must make our move right away to avoid confusion. Including the children. We can't take any chances. One wrong move, and there won't be a Konoha."

"Don't say this in front of Itachi! How could you even consider slaughtering innocent children? Besides, if a civil war starts it will be hard to fight against the Uchiha. Impossible with the rest of the nations piling on. We must think of a strategy that does not involve the Uchiha clan's destruction."

"It's a race against time. We must act before they do anything."

"If we and our ANBU team up together we can just make a surprise attack on them and end it right away."

"The Uchiha used to be our comrades in arms. I want to use words and not power against them. I'll think of a strategy. Itachi, try to gain as much time as you can."

* * *

"The Third talked like that, but he will act if the Leaf needs to be protected. That's the way he is. If that happens, even he, as the Hokage, will have to take drastic measures. Whether the war happens or not, once they've tried to make a coup d'etat the Uchiha will be annihilated, your innocent little brother included. But by acting before it happens he can still be saved."

"If the coup happens, your younger brother will see everything too. He will see his whole clan be destroyed by shinobi of the Leaf, and will undoubtedly want to get revenge on the village. And in that case, he will have to be killed too."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, I want you to choose. You can either stand on the Uchiha's side, participate in the coup d'etat and see both your clan and your village destroyed. Or stand on the Leaf's side, save your brother before the coup happens and help destroy the Uchiha clan. To protect the village we must absolutely stop the coup before everything falls into chaos. And the only one that can do this job is a double spy working for both the Uchiha and the Leaf, someone with both the trust and the power. In other words you, Itachi."

"Itachi, it will be a hard mission for you, but in exchange for that, I can let your younger brother live. I'm sure you too want to protect the village. Do you accept this mission?"

* * *

"How did you know about me?"

Obito had heard rumblings of both a foolish Uchiha rebellion and a council ready to put them down. He figured now was his time to strike. He hadn't counted on the Uchiha prodigy to sneak up on him.

"You were able to slip through the Uchiha's defense and even look at the secret stone inside Nakano sanctuary. Only the Uchiha know that place. After that I examined your actions, and tried to understand who you are and what your goal is."

"Then this will be easy. You probably know that I'm an Uchiha and I hold a grudge towards the clan and the village."

"You must follow my conditions. I'll help you get revenge on the Uchiha, but you must not lay a hand on the village. And, on Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

Saturday, July 1st, 8AKNT

"Father only cares about you, Itachi."

"You probably hate me, huh? It's all right, people often think ill of shinobi. It's only logical."

"That's not how I feel!" _He's right though, I do. I do feel that way_.

"Heh, being the best isn't all it's cracked up to be. When you have power, you become arrogant and isolated from the world, no matter how coveted you and sought after you are in the beginning. But with us, it's different, because you and I are flesh and blood. I'm always going to be there for you, even if it's only as an obstacle for you to overcome. Even if you do hate me. That's what big brothers are for—"

"Is Itachi in there? We need to talk. Get out here!"

"What's going on? What are you all doing here?"

"There were two people who didn't show up at yesterday's assembly. Do you want to tell me why you weren't there?"

"You're in ANBU black-ops now, I know full well you can be called away at the drop of a hat. And that's the case your father was trying to make when we asked why you weren't there.

"But we're not your father, you won't be getting any special treatment from us."

"I understand. I should've been more careful. Will that be all then gentlemen?"

"Sure thing. But you know what, before we go, there's just one other thing."

"Hm?"

"Do you, know anything about Shisui Uchiha ending his life in Nakano river?"

"Shisui was the other guy who never turned up at the assembly yesterday. It's funny, if I remember correctly, you kind of looked up to him like an older brother, didn't you?"

Itachi closed his eyes.

"How terrible. Forgive me, I haven't seen him at all recently. What a tragedy."

"Yeah. And well at this point, the police force has no other choice but to launch an all out investigation into the matter."

"Investigation?"

"This is a note Shisui left behind. We've already had it analyzed. There's no question that this is his handwriting."

"But if it wasn't homicide, why the investigation?"

"I would be no great feat for someone who possesses Sharingan to copy his handwriting."

"The most talented of all our clan, feared as Shisui the teleporter. He was a man who would do anything, take any mission, if it was for the good of the clan."

"Hard to imagine a man like that ending his life, don't you think."

"You shouldn't judge people by their appearance, or by your own preconceptions."

"We'll leave that with you for the time being. Take it to ANBU black-ops, and put in a request for them to start sniffing around this as well."

"Understood."

"Let's just hope we get a lead on this soon."

"By the way, we have our own connections inside ANBU black-ops. You try and sweep this investigation under the rug, and we're gonna know about it."

Itachi scowled, clenching the paper in his hand. Everyone leaked out their animosity, activating their Sharingan.

"Why don't you just come out and say it. You believe I had a hand in this, don't you."

"Yeah that's right, little punk."

"Listen Itachi, if I find you betray this clan, I want you to know, you'll pay for your wrongs."

In the blink of an eye, Itachi subdued all three of his accosters.

"Like I said before, appearances and preconceptions aren't going to tell you anything. For instance, you've made the mistake of assuming I'm a patient man. The clan, the clan. You overestimate your own abilities. With no idea, of the depth of my own. And look at you now, grovelling in the dirt."

Sasuke looked on fearfully, unable and unwilling to wonder what would happen next.

"Shisui, Shisui had been keeping and eye on you recently. The strangeness of your behavior. Half a year into your time in ANBU, it was impossible to overlook. What the heck are you playing at you filthy little wretch!"

"Obsessed with the organization. Obsessed with the clan. Obsessed with our lineage. A worthless compulsion that enslaves us, and limits our capabilities. Leading us to fear what we don't understand."

Fugaku had finally arrived, alerted by a passing patrolman.

"Stop it Itachi! What on earth is the matter with you! Itachi, you've been strange lately."

"Nothing strange about me. I have my own duties to fulfill. That's all."

"So what's your story, why didn't you come last night?"

"To achieve the next state."

"What are you talking about?"

Itachi rapidly withdrew a kunai, hurling it into an Uchiha clan symbol to the right on the stone wall, drawing the attention of Fugaku.

"I've had enough. There's no hope left for this pathetic clan. The people of this clan are all the same. You all focus on the trivial and lose sight of what is most important. Change is impossible in this fog of ignorance. How can we evolve when regulation is all we know? The village pariah, Naruto Uzumaki, jailor of the Nine Tailed Fox, by all measures, the one who should have failed. Killed himself. Done nothing but wallow in self-pity. He's the one improving the most. Ironic really. The one who's thought to have no potential, making the biggest clan in Konoha look like fools."

"Such arrogance! Even someone like you can't break that S-class secret! What do you think you're doing, parading around like that?"

"That's enough, if I hear one more word of this nonsense, I'll have you thrown behind bars!"

"Well, what's it gonna be?"

"I can't take this anymore, please sir, just give me the order!"

"Big brother! You have to stop!"

Itachi gave a start, and then fell onto his knees.

"I'm not the one who killed Shisui. But I apologize for the words I have spoken. I'm truly sorry."

Fugaku only gave a grunt, looking down.

"He's been pretty tired lately. Up to his ears in missions from ANBU black-ops."

"But captain!"

"ANBU are under the direct control of the Hokage. Even if you wanted to arrest one of them, you would need to get a warrant first. As for Itachi, I take full responsibility for him. You have my word."

The men around him gave groans.

"Very well sir."

* * *

Monday, July 3rd, 8AKNT

Itachi was wandering listlessly through Training Ground 3, unable to settle down or think clearly. His mind was preoccupied with a flurry of tumultuous emotions and extraneous thoughts.

_Father is still going to rebel. Fourth World War. Sarutobi can't stop anything. Shisui's dead. Danzō overpowered him and stole a Mangekyō Sharingan. Madara's back from the dead to destroy his clan. Before they can destroy themselves and everyone around them. Shisui's dead. Shisui's dead_. _Sasuke._

Itachi barely noted Naruto projecting his presence a few paces away, keeping him company. It wasn't hard to miss his black streaked orange jacket, an eyesore if he ever saw one in combat. Naruto was the most interesting person he'd ever met in his life – like his eclectic wardrobe showcasing harsh, colorful, and drab colors depending on the day and situation, his demeanor and temperament changed on a dime to an obscene number of extremes. The few times he'd come to ask for help were contradictory to almost every other conversation he'd had. They'd said nothing of significance together, but it felt like he was the closest one alive who understood him like Shisui did.

He'd watched him interact with his various peers with boundless energy, mischievous grace, overt clumsiness, guarded understanding, fiery support and endless will. Unlike a number of people who'd he'd seen interact with a mask on their face to cover up their true emotions and past, it seemed that Naruto operated with only one motive, to make his friends better. The emotions that he could wear on a sleeve or lock away into an expressionless face didn't convey any sense of deception. In fact, it was obvious that Naruto understood his friends to a depth that only close familial relationships could claim any semblance. He made the Hokage seem like an unfeeling, gruff stump.

The emotional maturity that this kid displayed, even when it seemed just the opposite, was quite intriguing, almost as if he could read minds. Add that to his immense chakra reserves and even more impressive control from what few techniques he'd seen him work on, Itachi felt like he was looking at the next Hokage. Quite the opposite from when he first saw him on an ANBU surveillance stint, when he was still a miserable pariah that could do nothing but wallow in despair in the face of circumstances where a weaker person would have just lost the will to live. While there was no doubt he was stronger than most back then, the growth that must have led him to his current state was something that would normally take decades. Had Itachi not been burdened by the current political state of Konoha, he might've resolved to find out more about Naruto's rapid change.

Naruto hadn't really formulated a plan for confronting Itachi. He only knew that he had to sway his mind to at least lessen the blow to Sasuke. He doubted that he could sway Sasuke should Itachi handle the... situation like last time. But quick-thinking and instinct had more than made up for his lack of detailed planning in the past, just as long as he had the big picture right.

"I know. Everything."

Itachi had had too many curve balls thrown at him these past few months to even register surprise. Of course the Leaf's next upcoming prodigy had noticed. Given his propensity to throw pranks that were unpredictable, unstoppable, and escape without blame for not only himself but his friends as well who were nowhere good enough to do so on their own... of course he would know. One prodigy to the next. They were the same.

"I'm so close to giving up on everyone else. It'll be easier to handle everything myself. Shoulder the hate that my clan has fallen to without any hope of getting back up. Follow me."

They almost instantaneously Body Flickered to the cliff where Shisui had hurled himself into the raging depths. Shisui would be proud that he had found another to strive and die for peace in his place.

"Danzō has set it up so that there's almost no chance of stopping the coup d'etat from happening. Anyone's mind can be changed. The question is, is it worth it. Is there the time? I doubt the united front my younger generation can present will change anything before it's too late. Not even if Sasuke is in it."

"Is that all you've come here to do? Tell me what's happening now is for the best?"

Naruto chuckled at that.

"Not at all. I'm a firm believer in change. If the Uchiha crisis doesn't change, the village won't change either. Even if the Uchiha clan is eliminated before they can destroy the Leaf, the hatred will always be there. And don't tell me that the fate you're leaving to Sasuke is any better. You can shoulder the hatred all you want. But in the end, you'll only delay the cycle. You won't stop it by distracting Sasuke from the village, and onto you. Madara is dangerous. He hasn't come here to destroy the clan just for vengeance, although that is a big reason. The Uchiha clan is a threat to him and his plans, no matter how unlikely it seems. Leaving Sasuke alive, focused on destroying you only presents an opportunity to him. An opportunity for another ally, driven on the Curse of Hatred. Someone like him."

Itachi forced questions of how Naruto was apparently god's right-hand seven-year old man out of his mind. Here were the answers he were looking for. No dilemmas and moral quandaries. No one manipulating the truth for their own benefit. For the village. Someone's whose ideals were more than just narrow-minded and force fed.

"Whe-Where were you, months ago?" Itachi choked out.

"I wasn't here. I'm actually from the future. You're the first person I've told. I've seen what will happen if this massacre happens the same again. My different presence here has already changed things. And I'll keep changing things. These years of peace will only last for so long – the actors pulling the strings will make sure of that. Within 10 years, we'll have faced the greatest threat to humanity since our inception. By then, we'll either have retained our free will. Or we'll have failed."

"What do I do, Naruto? I can't help but think, that the Uchiha clan is a threat. Always will be. With the power to control tailed beasts, summon unquenchable flames and indestructible harbingers of destruction, copy any jutsu, see any movement... The deadly potential it gives only requires one individual to destroy the peace of the world. What I could read on the tablet was, awful. As powerful as it is, if I had my way, the Sharingan never should have existed."

"I know not if we can prevent this massacre from happening. But there's no question the coup will never happen, whether it be by diplomacy or force. But what you can change for sure, is Sasuke. And yourself. Tell Sasuke the truth. Choosing his fate for him, is no different than what Danzō is doing. Than what Madara is doing. What your father is doing. And don't take the burden the blame yourself. If you and Sasuke can stand against the clan, maybe they'll back off. Whether or not that's for the better, is up for debate. You're certainly right, that letting the Uchiha clan be destroyed is the easy route. Perhaps the only route. Madara is still huge problem though. Long story short, he's actually a different Uchiha, Obito, masquerading as him, under the now dead Madara's orders. With the Mangekyō Sharingan and skill that could fend off the Fourth Hokage, it's a matter of preparation and luck. If we take him out now, there's no question that it'll put a dent in Ma-dead's plans. Doing it without being noticed, would be impossible. We just have to do it so that no one notices anything suspicious." Naruto looked away. He was still fuzzy on those details.

"We can settle the small bits later. But, if you're willing to, we can work together. For Konoha. But be prepared to see your entire clan be destroyed. If not by you, definitely by Obito. If we can't stop the coup through example, then I won't let you fall into hell by letting you kill them yourselves. Obito can help save the world, just this once."

Before Itachi broke down into tears, Naruto wrapped his small limbs around his torso, before they both collapsed into a crying mess.

These Uchiha guys, really once you got past their tendency to thirst for power and throw away everything for it, they were just big _cry-babies_, Naruto thought sardonically.

* * *

Thursday, July 6th, 8AKNT

"Hey, old man?"

"What is it Naruto?"

He needed leverage and influence. It was time to start playing some bigger cards. He nodded over to the portraits of the Hokage.

"The Fourth Hokage, the one who stopped the fox demon, I look like him right? We have the same blond hair and blue eyes."

This was bad. Hiruzen was at a loss here. Naruto had always been clever, pulling off pranks that the academy instructors had been unable to foresee, let alone stop. And now he was starting to put that cleverness to good use, excelling in class and making friends in spite of the discrimination by the civilians of the village. That in of itself was inspiring, to say the least. The Third Hokage thought that he had let Minato down, unable to stop his son from becoming the village pariah.

But now, Naruto was stumbling close to the truth of his heritage, much sooner than he thought would be plausible. In hindsight, the boy had always shouted about being Hokage someday, so he would see his father's face more often than not and connect the dots eventually. Naruto certainly deserved to know, but his safety was of more importance here.

"And the fox tells me that I'm just like that 'snot-nosed brat who sealed me up.' Is he my father?" Naruto hadn't actually been able to talk to Kurama yet. He was probably still full of hatred and stuff,

Hiruzen's words of denial failed to come out. The nine-tails had been talking to Naruto? From what he'd seen of Minato's seal, it was designed to weaken over time, most likely to allow Naruto to control it better. But this early was worrisome.

"What else did this fox say?"

"Well he's always raving about this really annoying Uchiha who used his... Saimingan? That's what he called these crazy red eyes when I asked. Red eyes that made him attack humans when all he wanted to do was go take a nap and butt heads with some tanuki. Is this the same fox... who attacked the village?"

Looks like the jig is up. Putting aside the disturbing news that an Uchiha might actually be responsible for the attack on the village, Hiruzen really did not feel like lying to the boy anymore, and he had gotten far more mature lately. He supposed he could handle it. Besides, he has many times more chakra and (admittedly new) emotional maturity than any jōnin. That should be enough for the requirements.

"I had hoped you wouldn't notice until you were older, but yes Naruto, you are the son of the Fourth Hokage, who sealed the nine-tailed fox within you. He died in order to protect the village, and he had to seal the fox within in you since a tailed-beast could not be sealed in anything else. Iruka tells me you've been showing interest in fūinjutsu lately. A demon as large as the nine-tailed could not be sealed in anything non-living for long, no matter how strong the seal."

"Is that why all the older adults don't like me? Do they see me as the nine-tailed fox?"

He had to set things straight before they got too out of hand. He motioned to his tea cup.

"Take this cup for example. When I pour in tea, it's still a cup. But unfortunately, those who lived through the attack still look at you and remember that day. They don't want to be reminded of all the friends and loved ones they lost."

"And is that why, no one really likes the Uchiha clan?"

Hiruzen gave a start at that. Naruto even picked up on the animosity between the clan and the village? It seems these past few months have really opened up his eyes.

"Everyone talks about Itachi being an amazing prodigy and all, but I've never seen anyone talk to him. Only me. And everyone is always... different whenever another Uchiha is around. Especially Sasuke's dad. It's like their always watching him, saying words without saying anything at all."

The old Hokage felt the headache coming back. The coup instigated by Fugaku, the Uchiha clan head, was at a precipice, but still well hidden. For Naruto to have seen it must mean that things are only getting worse. The prospects for a peaceful resolution looked less and less likely, and Danzō and council certainly were not helping. Being Hokage really was just one big headache, and Minato just had to die on him.

"Naruto, you cannot tell anyone about what we've talked about here. No one can know that you have the nine-tailed fox sealed in you, or that your dad was the Fourth Hokage. If you tell anyone, people from other villages may come to kidnap or kill you. Most people view people like you as a weapon, and your father has many enemies who hold grudges against him for what happened in the Third Shinobi War."

"And on to the other subject, did the fox have anything else to say on the Uchiha clan?" Hiruzen was in the dark on the nine-tailed fox. Last he heard, the tailed-beasts did not intrinsically hate humanity, but a few of them including the nine-tailed fox had been driven to hatred because of power hungry people trying to harness their power. It was important to know what else Naruto had been told.

"Well, he said some dude named Madara was trying to take revenge on Konoha for some stupid battle or something, so he forced Kurama to attack the village. He's really sore about that one, he says everyone thinks he's a spirit of evil or something but he's really not. He just likes pranks, that's all. He's like me! Plus, I'll have you know, he really likes to be petted. It's so cute." Naruto could not wait to poke fun at Kurama once he managed to calm down the fox spirit.

Hiruzen was trying not to be distracted by Naruto's fond description of the nine-tailed fox. His mind was racing a mile a minute. As far-fetched as Naruto's tale was, there was no way a 7-year-old could make something like this up or hear it from someone else. And it matches up with what other facts he knew to be true. No wonder why the council suspected the Uchiha clan, the attack was actually perpetrated by one of the clans most prominent members. Well, one of its supposedly dead members. How he survived the battle against the First Hokage would be a question for the ages.

But that still didn't solve the problem of the Uchiha clan coup, and upcoming massacre if nothing changed. Sarutobi was closer than he ever was to just giving up and letting events take their coarse. It'd seemed nothing he did made anything better. Or maybe that was the problem, that it was only him trying. Rubbing his temples, he dismissed Naruto with a reminder not to tell anyone of what they'd discussed. As enlightening as the conversation was, he wasn't sure how he could change anything. It was basically more proof that he was powerless to stop this calamity from happening.

* * *

Friday, July 14th, 8AKNT

Sakura was the first to notice Naruto's discomfort. He hid it well, but she knew better. He'd always been deceptively attentive, appearing to be absentminded when he could be memorizing your every word. He never hid his emotions from those he knew, only on guard when the situation needed it. This was the first time she'd seen Naruto trying to hide his discomfort. Actually hide it.

"Hey Naruto, what's wrong?" The only way an 8-year-old could really ask.

He signed, before taking her hand and quickly walking to one of the large, leafy green pine trees. He eased himself onto the bark with Sakura, before laying his head on her shoulders. Within the first few weeks that Sakura had actually got to known Naruto, she'd discovered that he was a very physical person. Well, not very, just naturally. It took her some getting used to, but the contact they'd shared, was calming. She couldn't imaging Naruto without it now, nor could she imaging being with Naruto without touching some way. Only Naruto. To think she'd been worried about not having friends only months ago.

"I'm worried about something, but I can't tell you. The Hokage made me promise not to, because its... a secret of the village. I shouldn't even know about it. But I do, and I have to make a choice. I don't even know what the choices are, let alone which one is the right one." Naruto trailed off, biting his lip. Sakura couldn't stand to see Naruto like this. He'd never been unsure of himself. Ever. And even if he had, she was sure he knew that he would always have tried his best. So she did the only thing she could. She buried his moistening face into her torso, trying to smooth out his fears by clenching his hair. In the past few months, she'd changed so much with Naruto. For the better. There couldn't let him down now.

"I-I just need you to hold me." He squeaked out in a childish voice.

* * *

Most of the scenes before Naruto confronting Itachi were pulled from both the anime and manga, with some spicing up of the dialogue. It needs more work, and the rest of the chapter does as well. Also wondering what part of the next chapter I should roll into this one instead, but I figured I'd release this one for some feedback now. Itachi telling Sasuke would be in here, but that also needs a lot more work. As usual, please remark on anything to improve, especially continuity with the general canon plot, which is important for these early chapters. The character stuff, that'll come with time.


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